Joffrey Ballet Presents Two Premieres in Winter Fire

With its new program Winter Fire, the famous Joffrey Ballet performs a U.S. premiere, a company premiere and an audience favorite. The mixed repertory program begins with William Forsythe's In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, originally created for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1987. Featuring music by Thom Willems in collaboration with Leslie Stuck, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated is an abstract work that combines classical ballet lines with rapid-fire virtuosity. Next up is After the Rain, a 2010 Joffrey Premiere choreographed by the New York City Ballet's Christopher Wheeldon and set to the minimalist, classical music of Arvo Pärt. The program concludes with the U.S. premiere of Wayne McGregor's work Infra. Infra is set to an original score by Max Richter, a mix of mournful strings and calmly indifferent industrial sounds. The set includes a 59-foot LED screen suspended above the stage displaying walking pedestrian animations by British artist Julian Opie.

In the Middle and Infra reminded me of the Old Joffrey dancers and how they use to drawn the audience into their dancing. In Infra you could feel the pain of the London bombing. It was superb! Erica, Fabrice, and Aaron were outstanding! The other...continued

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Quotes & Highlights

“Wayne McGregor’s_ Infra_, now getting its U.S. premiere via the Joffrey Ballet, is a beautifully abstract work laced with carefully calculated doses of drama, brief images of pain and anguish, that transform it into deeply moving art. A veteran critic recently termed ballet culturally irrelevant, but the trio of works on this program add up to an irrefutable rebuttal to whatever he meant.” —_Chicago Tribune _

Description

In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated

Choreography: William Forsythe

Music: Thom Willems *

*Joffrey Premiere

Raw and muscular with a throbbing, electronic score, this is classical ballet stretched to its modern limits. With searing hot choreography and aggressive, sensual energy, Forsythe is at his “fierce finest.” -_ New York Times_

_*After the Rain*

_Choreography: Christopher Wheeldon

Music: Arvo Pärt

Set to achingly beautiful music, this masterpiece displays the push-pull of a passionate relationship, at times tender, at others agonizing. The stunning, sculptural movement, the emotional intensity, and Pärt’s haunting score will leave you breathless. “A heartstoppingly beautiful creation” -_ Chicago Tribune_

Infra

Choreography: Wayne McGregor

Music: Max Richter *

*U.S. Premiere

Combining emotionally moving dance with the calm indifference of the cyber world, the result is a revolutionary piece of 21st century dance. The poignant choreography of McGregor mixed with the urban design of world-renowned artist Opie and Richter’s mournful industrial score are unforgettable. “A piece of sumptuous beauty and shimmering possibility” -_ The Telegraph_

About the Ticket Supplier: The Joffrey Ballet

Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino’s uniquely American vision of dance first took form in 1956. The original company consisted of six dynamic and highly individual dancers. While Robert Joffrey stayed in New York to teach ballet classes and earn money to pay the dancers’ salaries, Gerald Arpino led the troupe across America’s heartland, in a station wagon that pulled a U-Haul trailer. Their repertoire of original ballets by Robert Joffrey set them apart from other small touring companies, who often performed scaled-down versions of the classics. From the beginning, Joffrey and Arpino wanted a company that came out of their roots, out of America.